This invention relates to inhibitors of beta amyloid production, which have utility in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.
Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia (loss of memory) in the elderly. The main pathological lesions of AD found in the brain consist of extracellular deposits of beta amyloid protein in the form of plaques and angiopathy and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles of aggregated hyperphosphorylated tau protein. Recent evidence has revealed that elevated beta amyloid levels in the brain not only precede tau pathology but also correlate with cognitive decline. Further suggesting a causative role for beta amyloid in AD, recent studies have shown that aggregated beta amyloid is toxic to neurons in cell culture.
Heterocyclic- and phenyl-sulfonamide compounds, specifically fluoro- and trifluoroalkyl-containing heterocyclic sulfonamide compounds, have been shown to be useful for inhibiting β-amyloid production.
What is needed in the art are alternate processes for preparing sulfonamide compounds useful for inhibiting β-amyloid production.